


think (about what you did)

by amsves



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Emperor Lelouch-era, Jeremiah-centric, Kinda Crackish, Other, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 11:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10876287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Jeremiah knows his place, but no amount of discipline can calm a curious mind. Curiosity killed the cat, after all.





	think (about what you did)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Better than Revenge" by Taylor Swift. Yeah, I've kinda been on a Taylor kick recently.

It wasn’t Jeremiah’s place to pry.

He knew that absolutely. As a loyal servant to the vi Britannia family, he knew his place was to aid His Majesty in bringing about his radical changes for the world, whether that meant cutting down His Majesty’s enemies or simply bearing the latest news. What his place wasn’t, he also knew. And he most certainly knew that his place was not to speculate about His Majesty’s private life.

Know that as he might, he still did it. Quietly, in the privacy of his own mind, of course. He would never bring slander and disgrace to His Majesty’s name by spreading unsavory rumours. 

Given that he was a close confidante of His Majesty, Jeremiah was privy to more than most. He saw the way the green-haired witch ( _ C.C., he mentally corrected himself; she was no longer connected to the cult which had bestowed upon him this hellish condition, though that in itself no longer quite rang true _ ) draped herself nonchalantly over His Majesty; the way she was a consistent presence in even the most intimate of meetings; the way she slept in His Majesty’s room, presumably in His Majesty’s  _ bed _ ; and he couldn’t help but wonder. He knew who she was, but who was she to His Majesty?

And, on the other hand, there was that matter of Sir Kururugi. C.C. seemed to be a touchy, clingy individual, and her affections, if they could be called such, were lavished freely in her own way. Kururugi was more subtle, but when Jeremiah looked, he could see the glances that lingered slightly too long; the way Kururugi leaned into His Majesty’s touches and His Majesty his; the way his voice, normally so sharp and bitter, like iron, softened at the edges when telling His Majesty to go to bed, or to eat something. It was obvious that both C.C. and Kururugi greatly loved their emperor, each in their own way, but the question burning at the forefront of Jeremiah’s mind was how much the emperor loved them  _ back _ . 

If Jeremiah were a simple Britannian citizen, no more special to His Majesty than a single ant is to the queen, he might gather the evidence presented to him and presume that C.C. was His Majesty’s mistress. Sir Kururugi’s actions could be explained away--close proximity breeds strong feelings, and he would hardly be the first knight to develop feelings for their royal, or even climb into bed with them--but C.C. had no such excuse at the ready. She acted like a court royal, yet His Majesty had all but abolished those already, and she had no noble background known to the public. She was a permanent fixture at His Majesty’s side, yet she was never seen arriving at or leaving the palace. His Majesty addressed her directly daily, even hourly, but never addressed the  _ subject _ of her. In short, it was nothing short of suspicious.

Jeremiah was not a simple Britannian citizen, and he was certainly more special to His Majesty than a single ant, and he had access to several more facts, but he still couldn’t help but come to a similar conclusion as the common people. 

Which raised the question of Kururugi. If His Majesty really was romantically involved with the witch ( _ Jeremiah figured that if he was slandering His Majesty’s name in his thoughts, he may as well disgrace the woman, too _ ), then why did he need Suzaku as a bedwarmer? Or, were they simply close childhood friends?

The second possibility didn’t sit well with Jeremiah, but, then again, it didn’t matter what he thought. This was all mere presumption, and scandal would abound if he accidentally opened his mouth to voice his thoughts. It would be best to forget all about this.

Jeremiah strolled into the sitting room with Lloyd, where Cecile and C.C. were already seated, a bottle of wine between them. He took his place at the table and took a long drink from his glass. He could use the memory-obscuring properties of the alcohol. He took a moment to consider the green-haired woman in front of him, this outsider who had made her place next to His Majesty as if she’d always belonged there. While they toasted, he kept a careful eye on her, though he couldn’t name for what he was watching. 

His Majesty and Sir Kururugi emerged from their meeting, Kururugi cold and His Majesty somber, as per the usual. Jeremiah couldn’t help but notice the way their feet were turned slightly towards each other, the way they seemed to lean inwards to close the gap almost unconsciously. C.C. rose from her chair and followed the pair out of the room, whining about how long it had taken the two and how she was ready for bed. The doors closed behind the three (the unholy trinity, the harbingers of hardship, the core of the Zero Requiem to which C.C. had offered her glass) and Jeremiah stood as well. It would do him good to turn in early. Maybe he could forget all of this nonsense tomorrow.

-

It seemed that Jeremiah could not forget all of this nonsense. His Majesty was seated regally in his throne for the morning report, as usual. Sir Kururugi stood at attention at His Majesty’s right, every inch the soldier he had been trained to be. And then C.C. … was draped across His Majesty’s lap.

His Majesty, for his part, didn’t look like he’d accounted for this, but didn’t look like he minded much, either. His face was one of curious resignation, one that silently questioned why C.C. would have done such a thing, asked her to remove herself, and allowed her to stay all in one expression. Jeremiah locked eyes with His Majesty, who then rolled his eyes, a smile of exasperated affection on his lips, before pushing C.C. off of his lap. She smirked; he scowled.

“If it’s so displeasing to Margrave Jeremiah,” she drawled, looking him in the eye, “I’ll refrain. But, really, you’re such a prude.” 

Jeremiah bent his head in reverence to His Majesty and began the morning report.

-

The next day, C.C. graciously kept her word and kept out of His Majesty’s lap, but not quite out of his personal space. Lelouch lounged in his throne, and Sir Kururugi leaned up against the right side of the chair, letting a hand dangle just enough to brush His Majesty’s shoulder. C.C. mirrored his actions on the other side. All three straightened up when Jeremiah entered, but their smiles of satisfaction upon seeing his aversion did not go away.

-

The third day, C.C. was not present when Jeremiah began the morning report. Her own smaller seat to His Majesty’s left (seldom used these days, it seemed) was empty. Sir Kururugi stood at attention again, like yesterday had been something out of Jeremiah’s fever dream. Jeremiah bowed and began.

He was about halfway through his sequence, before the rumoured dissent in Area 18 but after the latest updates from Lloyd, when the doors opened. C.C. strolled in across the dais, blinking sleep out of her eyes. Her luscious hair was unbrushed, and she was clutching her strange yellow pillow to her chest. It wasn’t until she sat that Jeremiah fully registered that she was in a straitjacket.

“Overslept again?” His Majesty questioned, but his voice was gentle, almost amused, like it was a silly quirk of hers instead of a major political affront.

C.C. stifled a yawn. “Mm-hmm. You should have woken me up,” she added pointedly.

“If you’ll recall, I did try to,” Lelouch countered. “Suzaku, did I not try to the best of my ability to rouse our resident Sleeping Beauty this morning?”

“You did, Your Majesty,” Sir Kururugi replied, his face impartial. “C.C. was simply too stubborn.”

“You’re lying.”

“Your accusations are unfounded.”

“ _ You’re  _ unfounded.”

Jeremiah suddenly felt very uncomfortable, like he was witnessing a spat between lovers. The soldiers behind him were too well-disciplined to fidget, but he had no doubt that they were as confused as he was. He cleared his throat, and His Majesty cut himself off. “Whatever, C.C. Let’s continue the report now, shall we?”

C.C. shrugged, and yawned again. 

-

So, yeah, suffice to say, Jeremiah was confused.

All day, he thought about the strange series of events at the court that morning, running and re-running them in his mind until he was no longer sure he’d witnessed them in first person. He considered them from every angle, and came to one conclusion: C.C., for whatever reason, had been sleeping in His Majesty’s bed that morning, and probably Sir Kururugi, too. 

His accusations (still silenced, of course; Jeremiah might be committing some internal treason here, but he would  _ never _ breathe a word on the subject) gained traction when the evening rolled around. When His Majesty and Sir Kururugi came out of their meeting, Jeremiah excused himself and headed to the surveillance room. He fiddled with the camera feeds until he found exactly what he was looking for: the hallway leading to His Majesty’s room, and  _ only _ to His Majesty’s room. Sure enough, His Majesty was accompanied by Sir Kururugi and C.C.. 

“But you just _had_ dinner,” His Majesty’s digitally distorted voice protested.

“I’ll make good on my promise to throw your stuff out the window,” C.C. warned, and Sir Kururugi nodded in affirmation. 

His Majesty sighed and keyed in the password to his room. “Alright, fine. Whatever. But later. I’m not ordering a pizza to the room  _ now _ .”

C.C. huffed, but said nothing as the trio processed inside and the doors closed behind them.

-

Was it just Jeremiah’s imagination, or was His Majesty wearing makeup? There, along the line of his jaw, he could with his enhanced vision see a veil of powder just a shade off of His Majesty’s usual complexion. 

And, call Jeremiah crazy, but His Majesty seemed a little … stiff this morning.

And Sir Kururugi’s collar was definitely higher up than usual.

C.C., meanwhile, looked rather like she'd fallen down the stairs. Where could she have accumulated all of those bruises ... nope.

Jeremiah quickly dismissed those … unsavory thoughts from his mind. That was his punishment for inviting them in in the first place. He’d certainly learned his lesson about getting ‘involved’ in His Majesty’s private life.

Never again.

Jeremiah cleared his throat, and the morning report began.

**Author's Note:**

> Jeremiah needs more love. And some Charles zi Britannia Brainwashing™. 
> 
> Scream with me [on tumblr.](http://senpai-san.tumblr.com/)


End file.
